sheperds pie

When I left Boston just after the record-making arctic winter this year to come home to a Sydney winter I wasn’t overly happy… I do love my sunshine! That said, there have been many afternoons of lovely winter sun here and I have managed to develop a bit of colour, but have also been able to experiment with new warm winter meals in the cooler evenings for my flatmate. Here’s one of my favourites: vegan shepherds pie from the girl who refused to eat the meat-based stuff as a girl!

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, scrubbed and diced (I buy organic potatoes so I don’t have to peel them… a lot of goodness is just under the skin!)

Vegan stock cube

Dollop of vegan butter (Nuttelex or Earth Balance, or similar depending on where you live!)

Splash of almond / soy milk

Olive oil

1 medium carrot, grated

2 sticks of celery, finely diced

2 onions, finely diced

400g button (or baby bella) mushrooms, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

1 tbls rosemary (fresh or dried), finely chopped

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Splash red wine (optional)

400g diced tomatoes (diced fresh or from a jar)

1-2 tbsp chili flakes or cayenne pepper

Sea salt (or Herbamare) and pepper to taste

400g lentils (cooked fresh or canned in water)

Smoked paprika

Instructions

Heat oven to 180C

Bring 2-3 liters of water to the boil in a large pot with vegan stock cube

In a smaller pan, heat a splash of wine and let the alcohol evaporate before adding the tomatoes and chili, salt and pepper to taste; add tomato mix to the vegetables in the large pan

Drain lentils and add to the large pan, stir in and simmer until the mix thickens

Spread into 9x9in ceramic baking dish

The potatoes should be cooked by this time so strain all the water away and tip back into the pot

Mash lightly with a few dollops of vegan butter (I like mine a little chunky when I leave the skin on but it’s up to you how smooth you go) and use a wooden spoon to stir in a splash of almond milk to make the texture a little creamier – add salt to taste

Smooth potato mix over the lentil mix and sprinkle paprika lightly over the top

Cook in oven for 10-1 5minutes or until the potato goes crispy

Serve with salad or steamed greens… or eat it straight out of the dish with a large spoon!

The vegetable and lentil mix also freezes well so consider making double the amount. Then, on a cold rainy evening simply defrost the mix, mash some potatoes and throw it in the oven for quick, easy comfort food.